I hated this book.

The idea of SETI contact and the rollback to youth was fascinating but the execution was a heavy handed disaster.

It was like discussing philosophy with a Lunkhead like Fred Flintstone. ( )

I say something similar to this in every review I write of a [a:Robert J. Sawyer|25883|Robert J. Sawyer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1224975910p2/25883.jpg] book: He imbues his stories with a thoroughness and thoughtfulness that leaves me in awe. In [b:Rollback|264940|Rollback|Robert J. Sawyer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1390071421s/264940.jpg|256847], he takes up the issues associated with curing aging, both on a social and on a personal level. In a single paragraph, he completely upended and enriched my perception of one of the characters. Sawyer's skills as a science fiction author are breathtaking. If you don't read this book, read a different one of his; any one. You won't regret it. ( )

I was disappointed again by my genre fic pick. This is just mediocre writing, man. I can't get into it. The premise was interesting, but Sawyer's treatment of it was predictable and kind of boring. ( )

This book does have the seeds of a lot of interesting ideas- ideas about how we might want to communicate with aliens, how and why they might want to communicate with us, and some thought on how physical rejuvenation of our bodies poses some social and moral questions. However none of these ideas gets much development, and the story is basically trivial Hollywood style entertainment. ( )

Someone in my bookclub suggested this book, and as far as books for bookclubs, this one should generate very interesting discussions when we do meet. To be fair to Robert J. Sawyer, it already has created an array of discussions around the kitchen table with my husband and kids. But, in many ways I feel it was not executed with the mastery it deserved. The author utilizes dialogue as a form of explaining ideas to no end, making the reading a bit tiring. The ending is too nice and the characters too naïve.

Would I recommend it? I already have. I recommended to a friend that enjoys discussions on ethics, morality and the plausibility of God. The caveat: Don’t expect a great literary work.
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I was favorably impressed by the Neanderthal series, but hadn't read any more of his stories until much later. This was a large failing of mine. Mr. Sawyer deserves all the credit he has garnered over the years and I'm looking forward to the rest of his novels soon! I really appreciated the study of ethics and responsibility with the tale. It was also nice to have a hollywood ending. I know it isn't for everyone, but sometimes it is absolutely called for. ( )

I love Robert J. Sawyer books, but this book seemed to be more of a thought-experiment as opposed to an book wrapped in a narrative. It had a pretty interesting plot, but the book was missing character-building. It's one of the few books I've read that I felt should have been longer. ( )

Oh, man. What a book. ( )

This was tough to review without spoilers, but I managed it :)

Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer is, really, about family. The story couldn't be told without the science part of the fiction, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is central to the story, but even those elements are used to focus on what a family is, and what it means to be in a family.

The story starts with our main character, Donald Halifax, lamenting his age. Right away, you get the clue that age will be involved in this story. His only claim to fame is reflected glory; his wife is slightly famous for having decoded the first message from an alien intelligence.

Don tends to pontificate, and make Star Trek references. No, most people don't talk like that. But nerdy fannish types do. I've had conversations like he does with his wife, so they're believable to me. To a general audience, though, it may seem a bit tedious.

I occasionally wanted to grab Don and shake him, but I can't fault the story for that - it made sense that he would make some less than stellar decisions. That they also moved the plot along was convenient, but didn't detract from the believability.

The plot was good, but predictable. There were a couple unexpected twists, but for the most part, you'll see it all coming. The characters are good, but mostly just deep enough to serve their purpose in the story. I cared about Don and his family, but I don't feel particularly attached to them, either.

The writing is good, and pretty engaging. It's an easy read, but only occasionally gripping. If you're looking for a fun read that'll make you think, this is a good option. ( )

Sawyer's books seem to be always about the characters and this was no exception. A study in human nature that just happened to have a science fiction element. ( )

Robert J. Sawyer expertly explores ethical dilemmas and alien contact in his intelligent, highly readable novel Rollback. It is 2048. Astronomer Sarah Halifax, who had been one of the leading astronomers at SETI and the one person who translated the first message from the Draconians in 2009, is now 87. When the Draconians send an encrypted reply, wealthy industrialist Cody McGavin offers Sarah a rollback - a rejuvenation procedure that will result in her being like a 25 year old physically - so she can help decipher the second message. Sarah demands that the procedure also be given to her husband of 60 years, Don. The procedure works for Don, but, sadly, not for Sarah.

While coping with her physical frailties, Sarah ponders the key to solving the encrypted message from the Draconians. At the same time Don struggles with being essentially an 87 year old man with the body and health of 25 year old. While their bond of 60 years continues, Don has to face some tough moral choices while Sarah is working, hoping to solve the puzzle before her death.

Sawyer succeeds in Rollback because he takes a couple themes - rejuvenation and contact with aliens, concentrates on the big picture and the questions that might arise, and then reaches a conclusion in a story that doesn't demand a sequel. Even though this is an alien contact story, it's really mostly a story about moral dilemmas and choices. The narrative mainly focuses on the effects of the rejuvenation for Don and the moral dilemmas and choices challenging him. One of the opening quotes is from Jonathan Swift, "No wise man ever wished to be younger." But is that true? And if you were to suddenly be returned to a young adult at age 87, how would you cope? What choices would you make?

I have one problem with Rollback. Honestly, the young Don got on my nerves a bit. Even though he is now physically 25, he still is 87 and has still been married to 60 years to Sarah. I would have thought he'd be more in touch with many of the life lessons he must have learned in that time. I think the main root of any problem I have with the story is that it is definitely told from a male point of view - and I am not male. So, while the ending of the story Sawyer is telling didn't work quite as well for me, a case could be made that Rollback will work for the majority of the targeted readers of science fiction who are male.

All of that is likely a minor quibble with what is a very enjoyable, intriguing, provocative novel. Sawyer is an accomplished writer, he knows how to tell a story, and he has all the awards to prove it. Highly Recommended; http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/

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I went through a Sawyer phase some time ago. I enjoyed his tales then but have changed my tastes quite a bit when it comes to sci-fi. His books are not hardcore on the science, though he certainly does his research. Because the book is older, it's a little dated. His concept is what it would be like to suddenly go from 80 to 25 again. He details all of the awkward and possibly unanticipated things that can happen. That's all interesting stuff but was hoping for more on the mysterious aliens and their message from space. ( )

I really do like Mr Sawyer's books, but the 'formula' is getting tiresome. It's not a plot formula that leaves me weary - it's the pacing.

I always think the premise sounds great. Always. I can't wait to start and the first part is great and fairly rips along, forcing me to spin through the pages. Then around the middle it all drops a gear and starts flagging as it reaches towards the conclusion. However, I plow on to the ending and it starts to pick up again, but only briefly because before I know it.....it's the end and I'm left thinking, "Hang on..Wait.... No. What?"

Although the book -like his others - is deemed sci-fi, it's still within the realms of 'maybe that could happen' but the ending just left me with a WTH moment, which I also find is my common reaction to Mr Sawyer's books. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. This is a not so good moment.

I wasn't fond of Don much either, which didn't help. I'm not saying I only like books featuring nice people but surely just because he ends up physically younger doesn't mean he's leaping in and out of bed with the first piece of baggage to flap her eyelashes at him. All the while his loving wife of umpteen years is sitting at home watching his dinner burn. It just doesn't make sense. His history with his wife must count for something and his mental age must mean he's got more sense. Maybe it's true what they say about guy's in that age group though and his brains were in his trousers.

It sounds like I didn't like it, I know, but I did really. I'd even go so far as to say I'd recommend it. It's a quick and fairly gentle sci-fi read and the sort of book that you come away from thinking about how you would react in that situation. But go into it prepared for his usual pacing and 'out there' conclusion and you won't be disappointed. ( )

Philosophiction at its best: Serendipitously, I read most of this book on my 62nd birthday It could not have been a more appropriate read. First of all, I "enjoyed" it tremendously, if "enjoy" is the correct term for a story that made me cry so often. However, the philosophical questions and issues in this book resonated tremendously with me, even the ones that were not age-related, such as the questions of the value of a life. This type of character-driven story where real people face important life questions that are familiar to current-day readers in a context involving some kind of scientific breakthrough is just the kind of writing Sawyer does best, and he really outdid himself this time.
He neatly missed several chances to make this a pretty bad book. For an example, Peter F. Hamilton, who has written some enjoyable books, wrote a totally DREADFUL novel called Misspent Youth about the effects a man's rejuvenation has on him and the people around him. Sawyer avoided all of his mistakes.
Many writers today seem so pessimistic that it would have been easy to make the book a "downer". For example, I was very sad when one of the main characters died, but it was very consoling that the character died having accomplished a dream in life. That is all anyone today can hope for, so it seems like a pretty good second prize to me, if you miss the "brass ring" of successful rollback.
WARNING: The rest of this review contains what some may consider a "spoiler".
Sawyer could have turned Halifax's affair into something sordid, a rejuvenated man "feeling his oats", and I am glad he didn't do that, either. The story of a decent, ethical husband who is unfaithful to his wife because of very unusual circumstances and how everyone concerned deals with that is much more interesting.
I loved the robot, and I mourned and truly respected his sacrifice---would that all humans were so decent!

I enjoyed the concept discussed, how a rejuvenation technology would effect a relationship, and alien first contact through radio signals sent over generations. But I didn't really get a handle on the characters, there wasn't enough plot to get to know them, and what I did learn about them I didn't like but the concepts were cool. ( )

Easy enough to read and kept my interest, but not memorable. The premise had some promise, but think the book started to come apart at the seams just a touch as some of the plot elements get harder and harder to swallow. ( )

Rollback was an interesting and fun read, with good depth of characters.

The science behind life prolongment takes a back seat to the moral and psychological impacts that this technology produces. The SETI back story provides added interest but with a somewhat incomplete feel. ( )

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

Regular readers know that July has been somewhat of a special month for me, in that I was accidentally able to get ahold of eight out of the twelve science-fiction novels nominated this year for either the Hugo or Philip K Dick award, and have been reviewing all of them here throughout the month; today's review is the seventh in that series*, in fact, with only Adam Roberts' Gradisil still to go (which is phenomenal, by the way, and right now is tied in my head with Ian McDonald's Brasyl as my favorite of the eight; but more on that in a few days). Today I'm reviewing the latest by Robert J Sawyer, an industry veteran who is one of the few proud holders of the "SF award trifecta" (the Hugo, Nebula, and Campbell awards, that is, considered by most fans to be the three most important awards in the industry); it is my first book by him, frankly, the Hugo-nominated Rollback from 2007, and I have to admit right away that I found it kind of a mess, unfortunately turning by halfway through into an unreadable mess, now making me wonder if his entire career is maybe a bit overinflated, or if he just happened to turn in a subpar book here in particular.

See, it's about this old couple, right? And nearly half a century ago, the wife of this couple happened to be the first person on the planet to figure out the meaning behind the very first message ever received from extraterrestrial intelligent life, and the person who led the team who put together a response to send back to these aliens via radio wave. (And yes, right in the manuscript itself, Sawyer addresses the fanboys who are tempted to shout, "Dude, that's the same storyline as Carl Sagan's Contact!" Which of course is part of the problem; if your project is so similar in storyline to a more famous one that you actually have to address it in your own book, that's a sign that you should rethink your premise to begin with.) They've been waiting 25 years for the response to even get to this foreign planet, and then another 25 years for whatever response the aliens might have of their own; and sure enough a new response has just been received at the opening of the novel, but with the couple now too old and frail to be working on a response team again full-time.

In steps this eccentric trillionaire entrepreneur, then, who simply must have the brilliant woman on the team trying to figure out why the aliens have responded the way they have; so much so, in fact, that he is willing to pay the billions of dollars needed to have the woman's entire physical body "rolled back" to a state of youth, through an ingenious combination of surgery, therapy, genetic manipulation and other near-future medical subjects actually being worked on by doctors of today. Oh, and her husband gets rolled back too, because she insists on it. Which is where the big problem comes; because apparently the experimental nature of all this was never fully emphasized to the couple, with the husband's rollback procedure "taking" but hers failing, leaving her as the same 80-year-old as before but him now a strapping lad of 25 with bulging muscles and a perpetual erection. And thus do conflicts arise between the two; and thus does the husband suddenly encounter unexpected instances of ageism in society, ala Black Like Me; and thus does the woman keep working on figuring out why these space aliens have sent back as their response what seems to be a round of the party game "Scruples," a bunch of ambiguous questions about human ethics for which the team doesn't quite know how to respond.

It's not too bad a premise, I suppose, although treads heavily on the same "We Can Make A New You" ground already made famous by such so-called "Web 2.0 writers" as Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross; the biggest problem, though, is that Sawyer just never manages to pull the entire thing together into a cohesive, entertaining story, but instead presents us a bunch of parts pulled from all over the place, that reflect the fact that they were pulled from all over the place. Like, Sawyer has a bad habit here of falling into that trap so many "near-future" authors fall into, of overexplaining the real technology behind their near-future speculations, of citing actual authors and articles within the text and turning the whole thing more into a Wikipedia entry than a gripping novel. At the same time, though, Sawyer makes beginning writing mistakes when addressing the subject of this husband actually "rolling back" to an earlier physical state; throughout the manuscript, Sawyer seems to argue that even the man's mindset would revert back to that of a horny, immature 16-year-old, simply by reverting his body to such a state.

That really bothered me about this book, to tell you the truth, that instead of Sawyer exploring the fascinating issue of putting all the wisdom and experience of a 80-year-old into a 25-year-old's body, he instead relies too much on this reverted teenage mental state to provide all the drama inherent in the plotline. In fact, the moment I stopped reading was the moment this rejuvenated male decided to have an affair with a college student, knowing full well how devastated his 80-year-old wife was over this entire situation in the first place, but not caring because of currently having the righteous boner of a sex-starved undergraduate. It really bothered me that such a character would so carelessly throw away half a century of marriage with a woman currently on the brink of mental collapse as it is, merely because he wants some quick sex with some anonymous 20-year-old. That's not only inconsistent with what had already been established about these characters and their relationship, it's insulting to the natural intelligence of the reader; and Rollback is unfortunately full of such moments, dozens of them that will make the smart reader pause and say, "Now wait just a freaking minute here, Robert J Freaking Sawyer."

You know that part in the early-'80s Disney movie Tron, where Jeff Bridges discovers that he can hold one of the otherworldly ships together just through his mind alone? But he gets in a busted ship that keeps threatening to fall apart on him? And he keeps throwing his hands out in the air and wiggling them, as if to say, "Hold together, damn you, HOLD TOGETHER"? Yeah, that's how I felt when reading Rollback, a collection of interesting ideas that unfortunately never does coalesce into an enjoyable reading experience. I'm certainly willing to give Sawyer the benefit of a doubt here, since this was my first book of his, and to assume for now that this is merely one clunker out of an otherwise outstanding career; unfortunately, though, it's a clunker nonetheless, one I'm surprised got nominated for the Hugo in the first place.

Out of 10: 6.1 ( )

The book started out with some promise with the plot of having received a follow-up SETI message. Unfortunately, it quickly turned south when the statement was made that "you've got a pen pal" and that the follow-up message was meant for Sarah and not for the civilization. How ridiculous.

The story continued to unfold as more of a love story with Don (the spouse who aging "rollback" worked) falling for another woman.

It then got almost laughable when it was determined that Sarah's survery )answers (out of 1000 random ones sent back on the initial SETI resposne) held the decryption key. Add to that the notion that 7-11 and other stores will be around in another 40 years and it becomes just too far fetched and totally non-believable.

On the plus side, some good tech with regard to the datacom -- a logical extension of where cell phone technology will head in the future. ( )

This is a story of aging, alien contact, and the common question of sci-fi: what does it mean to be human? I was somewhat saddened that the main character of the story turns out not to be the ground-breaking female scientist, but her "everyman" husband who is dealing with their experiences with the "rollback" process. I found myself frequently wondering what the story would be like told from her point of view -- I imagine it would be a very different book. (For one, it wouldn't have given the author as much excuse to expound upon science and humanity as much, since he often has her explaining things to her less-intelligent spouse.) Despite my desire to be reading a slightly different novel, I did find this a light, enjoyable read.

A side note: A lot of this book's setting and flavour will be familiar to Canadians, particularly those around Toronto, or those who listen to a lot of CBC radio. For me, I found this really added to the story, as I could hear the voices in my head of the interviewers he mentioned and imagine the coverage the story would have gotten on our news. ( )

This was a thought-provoking book about youth and age, ethics and alien contact. I liked the conversations Sarah and Don had about the Draconis aliens. ( )

A very good sci-fi story dealing with new ideas. The basic premise is that a female scientist in her 80s is needed to decrypt work that first began 40 or 50 years ago. Science has now progressed to give people additional years but a huge cost. Besides the fine storyline, this book deals with the ethics involved in making such decisions. Highly recommended ( )

This book was a fun, easy read. Nominally sci-fi, it reads more like mainstream fiction. True, there are aliens, but they are 18.8 light years away. This book is about ethics. SETI finally recieved a radio message from the stars in 2009. Sarah was integral to decoding that message then, at age 49, and sending Earth's reply. Now in 2047, we've finally received a reply that nobody can figure out. Sarah, unfortunately, is in her late 80's now and knocking on death's door. But a super-rich SETI-lover wants to give her more time to work on decoding the message, so he pays billions of dollars for a procedure, a "rollback," that will make her physically 25 again. She insists that if she gets a rollback her octagenarian husband of sixty years, Don, receives one too. For Don the procedure works perfectly, he's 25 again, full of vim and vigor, but for Sarah the procedure fails, she's still 88, feeble and fading. Now what?

The story is told almost entirely from Don's point of view. It's about moral quandaries. There's lots of stuff in here to make you think. What would you do if you were in that situation? An easy read, but deep and thought-provoking at the same time, I definitely enjoyed this book.

Sarah comes off as a much stronger more tolerant woman than I am. I would've like to have some of the story told from her point of view. We hear what she has to say to her husband about the ethical dilemmas that arise, but what is she really thinking?

There are two things that annoyed me about this book. The first was the familiarity with which the author dealt with pop topics. Maybe the author was just trying to emphasize when a section of the story was set in 2009 as opposed to being set in 2048 (lots of this story was told in flashbacks), but it seems to me that too many references to Seinfeld, Conan O'Brien, Blondie, Red Lobster and iPods is the kind of thing can date a novel and make it unreadable in the years to come when people no longer get the references. The other thing that annoyed me was the epilogue, set another twenty years in the future. It was totally unnecessary. It added nothing to and probably detracted from the story. I would much rather have had all of that left to the imagination, especially because I didn't like the way the author had it go. There is such a thing as too perfect. ( )

More about moral and ethics than about science. Plenty of dilemma for readers to ponder. Lots of predictions about everyday life in the near future. A very fun read. ( )

40 years ago mankind received it's first message from an alien civilization. The woman who decoded it and sent back the reply is now 80 years old. The alien's response has just been received.

The story is told through the eyes of that woman's husband, who undergoes a rollback thanks to his wife's importance in decoding the alien's second message. A rollback is a treatment that turns back a person's biological clock to where they are 25 years old. This leads to a love triangle between the newly 25 year old, his wife of sixty years, and young woman who reminds him of his wife when he was young.

The premise sounds predictable, but it is really handled well, deftly balancing between covering the effects the rollback on the protagonist, and decoding and understanding the alien's message by his wife.

Well paced, entertaining, recommended. ( )